Thermal neutron activation cross section for ⁴⁸Ca

Abstract

Abstract. In this work several certified standard samples with very well-determined Calcium amounts were irradiated in the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor, under a thermal neutron flux of ∼10 12 n · cm −2 · s −1 . The samples were then analyzed in a high-resolution gamma spectrometer in order to determine the amount of 49 Ca produced in the sample which, in turn, is directly proportional to the thermal neutron absorption cross section for 48 Ca. These results allowed the determination of this cross section with an uncertainty that's 6 × lower than the compiled value and approximately half the uncertainty of the best value found in the literature, thus improving the results that can be obtained when measuring Calcium via semi-parametric Neutron Activation Analysis.